Council gives OK to funding

Efforts to limit flooding in Jay County took another step forward Wednesday night as Jay County Council voted to provide funding for a storm sewer line from Jay County Fairgrounds to the Salamonie River.
County commissioner Faron Parr introduced the project to the council after fair board member Bob Lyons approached the commissioners Monday with the idea of installing an 18-inch line at the fairgrounds. The current 15-inch line would remain in place.
“(County surveyor Brad Daniels)’s crew’s been patching it and replacing 50 foot here, 50 foot there,” Parr said. “The last three years I think he’s replaced 680 feet of it. … It is working fairly well, but the water has increased tremendously, especially this year.”
The county has experienced repeated flooding during this year’s especially wet summer. On July 7, flooding at the fairgrounds forced the cancellation of all evening Jay County Fair activities. A week prior, the infield was already so saturated with water that the fair board decided to reschedule the Trace Adkins concert that was supposed to be held July 8.
While council members did not dispute that the project will help the fairgrounds, there was some question about how this project would fit into flooding problems in the county as a whole.
Parr told council the new line would get water from the fairgrounds to the Salamonie River faster. But that shouldn’t be an issue, commissioner Jim Zimmerman said.
“I really don’t think that it’ll add enough extra water that it’s really going to affect the river that much,” Zimmerman said. “It’s all going there now.”
Even if the project creates no further problems, it’s not a fix for every potential rainfall.
“The magnitude of water we’ve had lately is just insurmountable,” council president Mike Leonhard said. “It don’t matter how big a tile you got when you get this kind of water.”

The council voted 4-2 in favor of funding the project, with Bob Vance, Jeanne Houchins, Gary Theurer and Mike Rockwell in favor.
“I’m all for fixing the fairgrounds,” said Ted Champ, who along with Cindy Newton voted against funding. “I don’t want to fix that an create another problem down the road.”
Up to $20,000 from the economic development income tax fund can be used for the project.
“The fairgrounds is an economic development piece of property,” Zimmerman said.
In addition to the fair, events including the Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Show and the Vintage Motor Bike Show take place the fairgrounds.
The Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Association has already pledged $10,000 toward the $44,800 project. Portland has pledged $20,000.
Vance asked if the fair board would be contributing money.
“They were doing a lot of the work. They’ve done a lot of the surveying,” Parr said.
Given the weather’s effect on the fair, the board is “strapped enough,” Zimmerman said. “They took a big loss.”
The commissioners also:
•Approved an additional $35,000 for the coroner’s office for autopsies. Autopsy costs have gone up, coroner Jason White explained.
•Approved a bid from Braun Ambulances for a new ambulance. The bid is $153,890, though the trade-in amount from the ambulance being replaced will come off that once a value is determined.